In And Out of The Old Missions. First selling Edition Published in 1905. By George Wharton James in very good condition

George Wharton James made an intensive study of the history of the Spanish Missions of California, He describes the exploratipn and colonization of the territory and also the work and dedication of the first padres who founded the missions and sought to bring religion to the Indians. The author was highly organized in his arrangement of this historical and pictorial account of the Franciscan Missions. There are 142 illustrations from photographs. He visited every mission and described the architecture and the selling physical condition of the buildings and the history of each. The Mission buildings were starting to deteriorate at the time of his visit and he expressed concern for their probable future.

He described California society, its developers and its exploding population, its beauty of plain and desert, river valleys, and canyons. He deplored the treatment of the original citizens, the Indians, and the appalling lust for gold that figured large in California's fate. This is not a dry text. He has a sympathy which makes for enjoyable reading. Padre Serra has been borne away by the years but we still feel sorry for him walking so far on his ulcerated leg and feel compassion for the sailors who died of disease and were buried in the sands above the waves in San Diego.

This book is inportant for its depth of investigation and its devotion to getting at the truth of a complicated subject. The Binding is tight, some pages are wrinkled, There are no markings of any kind.